The Importance of Local SEO for Your Small Business
There is one thing you have in common with the other thousands of small businesses in your city: the desire to expand your customer base.
Your business will die without new customers. It doesn’t really matter how many sales or how much revenue you make from those transactions.
Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is a crucial part of attracting customers near your business. Continue reading to learn more about local SEO and how it can help increase exposure for your small business.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO refers to optimizing your website and social media profiles so it ranks high in search engines when someone searches for similar products/services. This allows you to promote yourself and your services to local clients faster.
Local SEO is essential for any business that has a physical location or serves customers in the same area. This could be the key for generating more leads.
Local SEO: What is it important?
Potential clients search for a specific item and type in their city. You want to ensure that your business appears on the first page of Google’s search results. You’ll be the first place they see when they need your help. This is possible with a solid SEO strategy.
Local SEO can also increase brand awareness and traffic.
There are many benefits small business SEO can offer. If you aren’t convinced yet, here are some more reasons to consider SEO for small businesses.
Google uses location as a ranking factor in SERP results
The most relevant result when you search for something online is often the first one that appears. Google uses many factors to determine which results are most helpful for users. These include keyword usage, content length and bounce rate. Google’s location data is one of the most important elements used to determine relevance.
Google heavily relies on geographical information to give searchers the best results, especially when they are looking for services near them.
Without proper SEO, local clients won’t find your business.
You want your clients to find you as a business owner.
Let’s suppose you own a bakery and your website isn’t optimized for local searches. If someone searches for “bakery near me”, they will see many bakeries, but not yours. This could seriously damage your customer base.
People are searching for businesses similar to yours right now, and will again in the future. However, your website won’t be seen unless it is optimized. Your website will have a better chance of being seen by potential customers if it is optimized.
Local SEO Tips
There are a few general ways that you can improve your website’s SEO, no matter if you’re an SEO expert and/or a small-business owner with limited experience in search engine optimization. These local optimization tips include:
Find the keywords to target
Local SEO starts with keyword research. It is important to understand what your customers are looking for and how they search for it.
Once you know which keywords to target, it is time to optimize your site and content for those terms. These phrases should be included as often as possible on your website’s pages.
Optimizing your website for voice search
Consider how users might naturally ask questions in real-life. When searching for advertising help, a user might ask “Where can I get marketing services in New York?” To help users find the information they need, you can include subheadings such as this on your website.
Similar applies to questions such as “How much marketing costs?” and “What are examples of successful marketing campaigns?” Users will click through to your internal pages if you answer these questions with content.
Find duplicate business listings
Copying information can lead to NAP inconsistent and make it difficult for search engines to determine which business is most authoritative. Duplicate listings can confuse users and damage your brand’s reputation. It is important to check your business listings on all sites and services, such as Google My Business, Facebook and Yelp.
Register Your Business in High Quality Directories
Listings in the correct directories will help you rank higher than companies that don’t have any listings. A brand is built by having high-quality directories. It helps you build trust with your customers and gives them accurate information about what it is that you do.
Yelp and Angie’s List are some of the most used directories.
Encourage Online Reviews
If someone searches for a product or service, and finds that there are 100+ 5-star reviews about it, they will be more inclined to contact you than to go through another provider. Your website will rise in search results because Google recognizes how valuable your product or service is to users.
Attract new customers who are right in your city
Local SEO is essential if you want to be ahead of your competitors. Although it is worthwhile, it can be time-consuming.
There are SEO services that can help you, such as ours. Bipper Media has been helping companies succeed online for more than a decade. Our expertise in local SEO can give you the boost that your business needs. We can drive more traffic to you website and increase your chances of making a sale.
To learn more about reaching new customers in your area, contact us today.
